Mugabe refuses to take exit offer as army puts pressure

Mugabe is apparently resisting pressure from the army to take up a deal which would see him cede power to his former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa who has aligned with the military to stage what many have called a coup.

Earlier

The African Union (AU) has used the “coup” word to describe the Zimbabwe military’s take-over of the country, despite the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) going out of its way to say that their seizing of power was definitely not a coup but merely the “arresting of criminals” for the ultimate good of the country, Kenya’s Daily Nation reported on Thursday.

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It has been reported that the head of the AU, Alpha Conde, who is also Guinea’s president, said that the crisis in Zimbabwe “seems like a coup” and called on the military to halt their actions immediately and restore constitutional order.

Conde further condemned the military actions in the southern African nation as “clearly soldiers trying to take power by force”.

“The African Union expresses its serious concern regarding the situation unfolding in Zimbabwe,” a statement said, expressing support for the country’s “legal institutions”.

The continental body then went on to demand that “constitutional order be restored immediately and called on all stakeholders to show responsibility and restraint”.

Derek Matyszak, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Zimbabwe, said there were good reasons the Zimbabwe military desperately wanted to downplay the possibility that they had carried out a coup.

WATCH: Five of Mugabe’s most shocking speeches

“They knew that if what they are doing is interpreted as a coup, the regional and international communities would not accept this and that the AU would be against it,” Matyszak told the African News Agency (ANA).

Although Africa has a history of coups, with the exception of Lesotho, southern Africa has not been plagued by them.

“That’s why they are arguing that their actions merely constitute security measures such as arresting counter-revolutionary elements and once this is complete they will go back to their barracks and hand control back to the government.

“But as the saying goes, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. Furthermore, the Zimbabwean military has used coup-like language,” added Matyszak.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on all sides in Zimbabwe to show “restraint”.

His spokesman Farhan Haq said the secretary-general was monitoring the situation and was calling for calm and no violence.

Guterres added that resolving the political crisis through peaceful means and dialogue in line with the country’s constitution was the way to go.

The UN chief noted that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was making efforts to end the crisis.

– ANA

Earlier:

Mugabe to concede power to army, set to negotiate exit deal with transitional govt

According to the SABC, President Robert Mugabe is in the process of negotiating an exit deal with the military and his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangwaga.

The army has effectively taken control of the Zimbabwean government and has held key ministers aligned to Mugabe under house arrest since Tuesday.

Mugabe is under house arrest, together with his family and bodyguards at his presidential palace in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.

The SABC reports Mugabe will likely cease power, exit and a new government under the helm of Mnangwagwa as head of state will stand for the next three months and until official elections take place.

Earlier:

Zimbabwe on knife edge as envoys hold urgent meetings

The situation in Zimbabwe remains extremely tense following the military takeover, with regional bloc the Southern African Development Community (SADC) due to hold an emergency meeting, and Zimbabweans wondering what the coming days and weeks will bring.

According to Reuters, what remains unclear is whether what appears to be a military coup in the southern African country will indeed bring about the end of President Robert Mugabe, 93, and the whereabouts of his politically ambitious wife Grace, who according to some sources has fled the country after her husband negotiated her departure.

ALSO READ: What we know about the man who could become Zim’s next president, Mnangagwa

Both Mugabe and his wife were placed under house arrest by the military and according to several news reports, the president, who has been in power since white-rule ended in 1980, was due to make a statement about handing over power in the next few days.

This next period is critical as South Africa’s defence and state security ministers, dispatched by President Jacob Zuma as regional envoys, hold talks with Mugabe and the military.

Zuma has also sent envoys to Angola to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis with Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who chairs the SADC Organ on Politics‚ Defence and Security.

The envoys’ ultimate goal remains unclear but their trips have been described as “fact-finding” missions.

“The immediate concern is that the situation doesn’t escalate into all-out violence,” said Aditi Lalbahadur, the South African Institute of International Affairs’ (SAIIA) Foreign Policy Programme Manager.

“The short-to-medium term will result in a change of government, not necessarily of political parties but within Zanu-PF as it is clear that Grace Mugabe’s G40 faction are no longer in charge,” Lalbahadur told the African News Agency (ANA).

How peacefully this short term scenario plays out depends on the response of the Zanu-PF youth league, which supports the G40 faction.

The league has dared the military to take further action as threatened by the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF) Constantino Chiwenga who is behind the military take-over.

ALSO READ: Details: How a Zim pastor predicted Mugabe’s downfall this year

“The longer-term implication is how the new government faction will engage with the region, South Africa, the rest of the world, but most importantly Zimbabweans,” Lalbahadur explained.

As to how the SADC will deal with the issue also remains to be seen as the region is not accustomed to military coups, with the exception of Lesotho.

“South Africa isn’t interested in having to send troops to Zimbabwe and in general Pretoria, backed by Mozambique and Botswana, has tended to be more conciliatory in settling regional disputes,” said the foreign policy expert.

In contrast Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe have tended to be more militaristic.

– ANA

Earlier:

Stunned Zimbabweans face uncertain future without Mugabe

Zimbabweans were weighing an uncertain future without President Robert Mugabe Thursday after the army took power and placed the 93-year-old veteran, once seen as a liberation hero, under house arrest.

Most people in the country have not known a time without Mugabe, who has been at the epicentre of public life since coming to power in 1980 on the country’s independence from Britain.

The nation was left stunned after the ailing leader was confined to his residence late Tuesday as soldiers took up positions at strategic points across Harare and senior officers commandeered state television.

The Southern African Development Community bloc, currently chaired by Zimbabwe’s powerhouse neighbour South Africa, was to meet in Botswana later Thursday to discuss the dramatic situation.

And though nothing has been heard from Mugabe or his wife Grace directly since the start of the army operation, many Zimbabweans are hopeful that the crisis will mark the beginning of a more prosperous future.

“Our economic situation has deteriorated every day — no employment, no jobs,” Tafadzwa Masango, a 35-year-old unemployed man, told AFP.

ALSO READ: Blame Grace for Mugabe’s fall – experts

“We hope for a better Zimbabwe after the Mugabe era. We feel very happy. It is now his time to go.”

Harare’s residents have largely ignored the military presence on the streets and continued commuting, socialising and working much as normal, while analysts speculated that Mugabe and the army could be negotiating a transition.

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– ‘The demise of Robert’ –

Derek Matyszak, an analyst at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, said he expects Mugabe and the military are thrashing out a handover to a new head of state.

“I think Mugabe can still stay in the country. I think they would like to present him as a liberation icon and accord him due respect.

“The difficulty, and this has always been the difficulty for the Mugabe family, is guaranteeing Grace Mugabe’s safety… on the demise of Robert.”

The international community will also be watching the next phase of the crisis closely.

On Wednesday the African Union issued an unusually terse statement that said the situation on the ground “seems like a coup” and called on the military to pull back and respect the constitution.

Britain, Zimbabwe’s colonial ruler until independence, called for calm and warned against handing power to an unelected leader.

“Nobody wants simply to see the transition from one unelected tyrant to the next,” said British foreign minister Boris Johnson.

Zimbabwe’s army was set on a collision course with Mugabe last week when he abruptly fired his vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa — a lynchpin of the defence and security establishment.

Mnangagwa, 75, was previously one of Mugabe’s most loyal lieutenants, having worked alongside him for decades.

But he fled to South Africa following his dismissal and published a scathing five-page rebuke of Mugabe’s leadership and Grace’s political ambition.

ALSO READ: Grace Mugabe flees to Namibia – reports

Army chief General Constantino Chiwenga gave an unprecedented press conference on Monday, flanked by dozens of officers, and warned Mugabe that he would intervene if the president continued to purge the ruling ZANU-PF party.

Mnangagwa has been embroiled in a long-running feud with Mugabe’s wife Grace, 52.

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Both were seen as leading contenders to replace Mugabe but Mnangagwa had the tacit support of the armed forces, which viewed Grace — a political novice — with derision.

In a sign that the military was purging the first lady’s backers, a Grace loyalist widely reported to have been detained by the army appeared on state TV late Wednesday.

Kudzai Chipanga, leader of the ZANU-PF’s youth league, apologised for criticising Chiwenga following the general’s threat to intervene against Mugabe.

“I kindly request General Chiwenga to please accept my apologies on behalf of the youth league and myself. We are still young people, we are still growing up. We learn from our mistakes,” said Chipanga, who shifted uneasily as he read the statement.

– AFP

Earlier:

SA government denies reports that envoys were turned away in Zimbabwe

The South African government on Wednesday, denied reports that special envoys dispatched by President Jacob Zuma to meet with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwean Defence Force were turned away by the military who have seized control of Harare.

SA State Security Agency spokesman Brian Dube told African News Agency (ANA) that reports saying the envoys were turned away at the airport in Harare were not true and that the South African ministers were in Zimbabwe. He could however not confirm that if the ministers had met with Mugabe.

In a statement issued shortly after noon on Wednesday, Zuma’s office said in his capacity as the chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the president was sending Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Minister of State Security, Advocate Bongani Bongo to Zimbabwe, as well Angola.

TIMELINE: Zimbabwe’s sacking of VP to Mugabe house arrest

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe

The situation in Zimbabwe continued to unfold after the military seized control of the capital Harare and key state broadcasters.

“President Zuma spoke to President Robert Mugabe earlier today who indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine,” the statement said.

“South Africa is also in contact with the Zimbabwean Defence Force (ZDF)… The Special Envoys will also be sent to the Republic of Angola to see President Joao Lourenco, Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security to brief him on the situation.”

Eyewitness News reported that the South African international relations and cooperation department confirmed that the special envoy arrived safely in Zimbabwe and had been welcomed.

“#Zimbabwe Spokesperson Clayson Monyela says Defence Minister Nosiviwe Maphisa-Nqakula and her State Security counterpart Bongani Bongo, are expected to start with stakeholder engagements at their hotel shortly. PP”, Eyewitness News reporter tweeted at around 8.27pm after an interview with Monyela.

“#Zimbabwe This is contrary to some reports circulating social media- that the envoy has been turned away. PP,” another tweet read.

“#Zimbabwe Monyela says several role players, including President Robert Mugabe and army officials, are expected to form part of engagements. PP.”

Mugabe remained under house arrest at his Blue Roof mansion in Harare’s Borrowdale suburb, with about eight members of the presidential guard seen outside the property.

ALSO READ: Mnangagwa: Zimbabwe’s leader in waiting?

At the newly-renamed Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, security was tight, with travellers checking in and out subjected to heavy searches.

ZDF Major General Sibusiso Moyo, in a statement broadcast live on ZBC-TV and radio stations in the early hours of Wednesday, said the military’s aim was to target “criminals around the president”. The statement came after the army seized control of state television, but denied that it had carried out a coup.

On Monday, the head of the defence forces, General Constantino Chiwenga, had warned that the army would take “drastic action” if factions in the ruling Zanu-PF did not stop a purge of party members with military backgrounds.

This followed last week’s sacking of war veteran Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He was locked in a power struggle with Mugabe’s wife Grace, who is supported by the youthful “G40” party faction. Mnangagwa had fled to South Africa but was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe to take control of government.

– ANA

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